Like He Used To
by WritersLove
Summary: Kiyoshi has been with Gaara for years and are married. However, after a misunderstanding, Gaara ignores Kiyoshi's complete existence until he comes home one night, drunk, and strangles her. GaaraxOC GaaraOC GaaOC COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: the Anime NARUTO belongs to KISHIMOTO MASASHI. The only thing I own here is the character, Kiyoshi, and the plot.

Warning: this Twoshot contains angst, resurrection, betrayal, and strong language.

GaaraxOC

Start time: 2.42 AM

**Note: **I know that many of you out there reading this would probably be disgusted because in this story, I have my OC and Gaara marry when they were only 13 and get my OC to give birth at 14, but it is expected. In the ninja world, death is sudden and at every corner. Death can happen at any random time, and all ninja's know that. There are four basic instincts humans have to survive: fighting, fleeing, feeding, and fornicating. I, myself, am against under-age sex, teenage pregnancy, and young marriage, but I only add it to this story because they are important to the plot.

**NOTE 2: THIS IS A 2 CHAPTER STORY**

* * *

No matter what she did or how hard she tried, she was still ignored. Ignored by the one man she loved and by the one man that she thought loved her.

Kiyoshi was the daughter of one of the high lords in Konoha and because of the invasion that Suna had taken a major role in, the Elders from Suna and the elders from Konoha agreed that marriage was the best thing to do. They were married when they were only 13.

At first, Gaara was polite to her, a complete gentleman. That changed when they turned 15.

It was a day to celebrate their child's 1st birthday and they had thrown a small party for her. They invited some of Reika's friends and their parents as well. It was a fun day full of laughter and joy, until a man that Kiyoshi didn't know suddenly came up to her and trapped her behind the kitchen wall, away from people's sight. He had forcefully kissed her and Kiyoshi's face scrunched up in disgust. Since she wasn't a ninja, the man had much more strength than she did, preventing her from escaping his indecent acts. It was just in that moment that Gaara had walked in. The man died, obviously, and so had Gaara's trust for Kiyoshi.

He never believed her when she tried to tell him that the man - who was then found out to be a notorious pervert and was jailed for 2 years prior due to stalking a woman - forced himself upon her and that she was disgusted by the man and herself. After months and months of pleading, Kiyoshi gave up, painfully acknowledging that her husband would not forgive her any time soon.

Months passed since the incident and Gaara became engrossed with his job as the Kazekage of Suna and Kiyoshi was left to raise her Reika alone. Temari and Kankuro had helped her at times, baby-sitting Reika when Kiyoshi had to go to the academy and substitute for sick teachers and she was grateful for their help, constantly trying to repay them by either money or the simple act of helping them. Temari only smiled and said that it was their pleasure of taking care of Reika and that she was a joy to watch over. In truth, Temari and Kankuro watched over little Reika because they saw the constant strain Kiyoshi had to put up with being married to a man who completely ignored her existence. The siblings in many times have tried to show Gaara the pain that he was causing her, only for them both to receive a cold glare and a kick out of his office by sand.

As Kazekage of Suna, Gaara spent many hours in the office, sometimes days on end, but there always had to be a time where he was to come back home. His usual schedule was to walk into the house quietly, check on Reika for a moment and enter his room, get ready for bed and lie down beside Kiyoshi, who was already asleep. One day, however, he broke his schedule. He had stumbled into the house, slammed the door and trudged up the stairs towards his room, ignoring the peering 10 year old girl. He walked into his room, slammed the door behind him once again and sat down heavily on his bed, waking up Kiyoshi.

She sat up slowly, her sense of smell ambushed by the smell of alcohol and women's perfume. "Gaara?" she had called out.

She had only received a grunt and she felt her eyes watering sightly. "Gaara, what have you been doing?"

Gaara chuckled; obviously drunk by the way his voice was slurred." Just having some fun with the whores of Suna." he said, nonchalantly.

Kiyoshi felt her heart tighten and her tears spilt over. She watched as her drunken husband stand up clumsily and waddled his way towards the dresser all the while giggling uncontrollably. Kiyoshi stood up and slowly walked towards Gaara, her arms wrapped around herself. She stood a few feet away from him, watching as he had trouble opening one of the drawers. She took a deep breath in fright and walked towards Gaara, putting a hand on his shoulder.

It only took a second for Kiyoshi to be pressed up against the wall with a hand gripping her throat tightly. With Gaara's face a few centimetres from hers, she coughed and held her breath as the disgusting smell of alcohol filled her nostrils. She couldn't hold her breath much longer because she gasped when Gaara pressed her harder against the wall by her neck. She chocked and clawed at his hand. Gaara may have been drunk, but he was still very strong.

"G-G-Gaa-Gaara..!" she croaked, gasping for air. She shut her eyes tightly as she dug her nails into her husband's hand.

Gaara glared at her, pushing her even tighter against the wall and growled, "Touch me again, you meaningless tramp, and you won't even be able to breathe your last good-bye to your little bastard of a child."

Tears leaked out of her eyes and Kiyoshi's breathe quickened even more, her mind clouding.

"'Tou-san!" a frantic voice screamed. "What are you doing?! Let go of her!"

Kiyoshi collapsed to the ground as Gaara let his grip loosen. She held her throat, greedily sucking as much air as she could, her body shaking like a leaf as sobs wracked her body. She coughed up blood and Reika ran to her mother's side, hugging her and letting her mother cry on her shoulder. Reika looked up, frightened, and stared at her father with wide, pale greed eyes. Gaara merely snorted and stumbled to the bathroom and kicked the door closed.

Kiyoshi was in hysterics. She could not stop sobbing for the next hour that Reika was forced to help her mother to her Aunt Temari's house down the street. Temari, Reika and Kiyoshi could not get any sleep that night.

* * *

Gaara woke up the next morning with a killer headache and rolled to his side, noticing that Kiyoshi wasn't there like she normally was. He quietly puzzled over this and walked to his dresser to get ready for work when he noticed a crack on the wall next to the dresser and dark spots on the carpet under him. Memories flooded his mind as he gripped his head when his headache worsened. He remembered coming home drunk and waking up Kiyoshi and the next thing he knew, she was trapped against the wall by his hand on her throat. He then remembered her -_ their - _child running into the room and screaming for him to let go. The last thing he remembered was the sound of his wife sobbing hysterically and his daughter's frightened eyes.

He felt his heart tighten unexpectedly and he was suddenly on the ground, curled into a small ball and gripping his chest and head.

Guilt bubbled in his heart and his stomach gave a flip and Gaara ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet.

He never felt this pathetic since he saw Kiyoshi kiss another man.

* * *

Kiyoshi was asleep with her head resting on Temari's lap. Temari kept a close eye on her and stroked her hair absent-mindedly. She watched Reika in the corner of her eye looking worriedly at her mother. Reika may have been only 11, but in Temari's eyes, she grew up to fast. She has seen Reika watch her mother break down in front of her because of her father. She has seen the pain that flashes through her mothers eyes every time someone mentions her father. She knew more than a 11 year old child should know.

"What will happen now?" Reika asked softly, her voice slightly trembling.

Temari broke out of her trance and looked at Reika with a sad smile, "I honestly don't know."

Tears dripped down Reika's cheeks and she quickly buried her face in her hands, wailing softly. "Why does he do this to her?" she cried, her words muffled by her hands. "I've seen pictures of them together, when they were younger, and they looked so happy. I know what happened on my 1st birthday, and I know that they haven't been able to look at each other in the eyes anymore. It's as if their love just died."

The door opened loudly, "Oi, Temari!" It was Kankuro.

He looked towards the sofa facing the door he just entered in and saw his niece weeping, Temari close to tears with Kiyoshi asleep on her lap. He walked closer to them slowly, taking a good look at his sister-in-law and was horrified to see a horrible deep purple bruise around her neck and her eyes red and puffy.

"Oh, God. Temari, what happened?!" He yelled out, scared, as he quickly walked towards them and crouched down in front of Kiyoshi's fragile figure. His hands hovered above her as if he was about to grab her and hug her but was too scared of breaking her.

Temari sniffed slightly, looking back down towards the pained face of Kiyoshi. "Gaara." she said simply, as if there was no need for an explanation.

Kankuro softly touched the long blotchy purple bruise on his sister's neck and Kiyoshi visibly tensed and whimpered. She curled up into a ball and buried her face on her knees, trying to shrink away from Kankuro's touch.

"G-Gaara did this?" He seethed, his face contorted in a twisted expression as he stared at the picture of said person on Temari's wall.

Temari nodded, continuing to run her fingers along Kiyoshi's long brown hair.

Kankuro looked at Reika and his eyes softened. He crawled towards her and wrapped his arms around his only niece. Reika sobbed on his shoulder, her yells muffled and quietened by his shoulder. Her screams weren't comprehendible, but there was one word that she kept repeating.

"_Why_?!"

* * *

"What the FUCK, Gaara?!" Kankuro barked as he barged into his younger brother's office.

Dull eyes stared at him for a few seconds and returned back to its place with reading paperwork. This angered Kankuro even more.

"Don't give me that blank stare, Gaara." he growled, stalking to his brother's desk and slammed his hands on it. "I'm currently too bloody angry to be scared of you right now, so don't bother threatening me with your sand."

Gaara sighed and looked at Kankuro with bored eyes. "What do you want?" He rasped out.

"I want to know why the fuck you strangled Kiyoshi." Kankuro snarled.

Gaara simply looked at him for a minute and looked back down, signed the piece of paper and reached a hand out to grab another one to read. Before he could, he felt Kankuro's large hand curl around his wrist tightly, slightly cracking his sand armour. Kankuro leaned in towards Gaara and glared at him. Kankuro's nostrils flared.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" He boomed, his grip tightening. "Strangling your own WIFE in front of your 11 year old daughter!"

Kankuro felt Gaara's sand armour crack under his hands but he continued having a tight grip on him. "That's low, Gaara. Even for you." Gaara growled in his throat. "You may be the Kazekage of Suna, but you have absolutely NO right what-so-ever to harm my sister in any way shape or form. You've already let her suffer for the past 8 years with your constant bar trips and hanging around with fallen women (1); I never knew that you could make her suffer even more! Have you seen the bruise you gave to her? HUH?! It's purple and there are blotchy red bits that are probably her blood! She's fucking scared shitless, Gaara. She won't even let me touch her. She keeps shrinking away, as if I'm about to strike her!

"And Reika!" Kankuro was definitely pissed. He could only feel the anger rising and rising. "Do you know how much you scared her?! She won't even let me _mention_ you around her. Once anyone does, she starts crying and has a fucking breakdown! She's your daughter for fuck's sake and you scared her to bits!" Kankuro took a deep breath. His glare hardened at his younger brother, "...I always thought _you_ were the monster, Gaara, not Shukaku. Thanks for verifying that."

With that, Kankuro let go of Gaara's wrist and stormed out of his office and slammed the door behind him with such force, a vase had fallen from a shelf a crashed to the ground.

Gaara stared at the space where his brother was just standing with a shocked expression. His eyes slowly trailed down to his wrist and small chips of his sand dropping onto his desk and a large crack ran down his arm from the pressure of Kankuro's hold. He sat there for a good few hours, trying to register what Kankuro had said.

"_I'm a monster._" He whispered. He grabbed his head, groaning in pain as he heard Shukaku giggling in his mind. "Yes, you are."

His pounding headache became evidently worse.

* * *

She couldn't handle it anymore. She gripped her chest tightly as another coughing fit shook her body, her fingers curled tightly around the fabric of her shirt. Blood sprayed onto the floor as she coughed harder. She curled her legs under her and she put her head in between her knees, her shoulders shaking. She squeezed her eyes nightly and pressed her lips together, trying to force herself to stop coughing, only to lead her to accidentally biting her tongue.

Tears poured down her face as blood oozed out of her mouth. She chocked and proceeded to spray large amounts of blood all over the carpeted floor. "Nngg.." she whined, her neck ached as she had to stretch it in order for her to be able to cough more blood out.

Kiyoshi leaned up, using the small coffee table next to her for support, she stood up shakily. Blood dripped down her chin and landed on the big white shirt that Temari had let her use. She stumbled her way out the door, using the walls to support her as she dragged her feet across the ground. Using the last bit of her strength, she headed to the Great Cliff of Suna. It was also named Lover's Leap, a place where broken hearted lovers leap over the edge and commit suicide. An appropriate name.

* * *

"Shit." was all Kankuro could say when he entered his sister's house. He saw a big red stain on the carpet and the coppery smell of blood filled his nose. "TEMARI!"

"What?! Quiet down, you'll wake up Ki--" Temari stopped as soon as she walked in and saw the blood on the ground.

Temari gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide with horror. "Oba-chan(2)? Oji-chan(3)? What's wrong?" Reiko asked, walking in. "Is 'Ka-san okay?"

"Stop!" Kankuro shouted, appearing in front of the confused girl, blocking her view of the blood stained carpet.

"What's wrong, Oji-chan?" Reika was getting worried; she could see her aunt's back was shaking. "Oba-chan! Where's 'Ka-chan?!"

Temari bowed her head, not wanting to show her niece her tears.

"'Ji-chan! Where's 'Ka-san!?" Reika was now screaming, her eyes overflowing with tears. "Where's my 'Ka-chan?!"

Reika saw the blood on the ground as she shook Kankuro. Her eyes widened and she bolted out the door.

"REIKA!" the siblings shouted, running after her.

* * *

"Kankuro! Go get Gaara, something bad is going to happen!" Temari shouter to her brother, "I'm going to get Reiko and look for Kiyoshi, I'll alert you when I find them."

Kankuro looked at his sister for a minute through the corner of his eye and nodded, turned right and ran towards the Kazekage tower.

'_This isn't good. This isn't good at all. With Kiyoshi's current metal stability exceedingly low, I have to get Gaara and hurry to her before she does anything that would hurt herself._' Kankuro thought before channelling chakra to his legs, making him run faster. '_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!'_

"GAARA!" Kankuro shouted, once again bursting into his brother's office. "Come one, we have to go, Kiyoshi's in trouble!"

Gaara just ignored him and continued signing his paperwork. "GAARA!!"

"What?" Gaara asked, exasperated, "The little whore could do what ever she fucking wants to. I don't care."

Kankuro stared at Gaara shocked. He's never heard him say anything like this to Kiyoshi.

His surprise quickly turned into anger. He appeared in front of Gaara, grabbed him by the collar and _punched the Kazekage, his brother_. Gaara's cheek stung as he tasted blood. What had happened to his sand armour?

"You are disgusting." Shukaku? "Who else, boy?" the demon growled.

'_What did you do to my sand armour?_' Gaara asked the demon, angry.

"What do you think? I took it off without you noticing. You're really starting to piss me off, boy. The very thing that you've been asking for since before that freaking meddling kitsune(4) changed you is just about go jump off a bloody cliff and you just sit here mourning over something that never happened." Shukaku's tone became harsher. "I honestly don't see what she sees in you, but I know that you never treat a woman this way, whore or not. And I know definitely that she is not a whore.

_"_Do you remember the night after you found her being kissed by another man? Remember when she went missing for a few days? She was on the edge of a cliff, debating whether she should jump or not. She knew there was a sand storm coming, too, so she waited there, in the middle of the sand storm hoping it would just kill her. But then she remembered she had to raise her little pup first. So she crawled back here, bleeding and scratches covering her body. You were being to fucking childish to realise that after everything she's done for you, you've repaid her by letting her suffer until she gives up and takes matter into her own hands.

"There's nothing to hold her back now, Gaara. Her pup is old enough now and she doesn't see what there is to live for. She's lost her purpose in life, so she doesn't see the need to suffer anymore by your hand. She's gonna die thinking her life was a waste and you're going to live the rest of miserable life in regret and lonely. And it's all going to be your fault." The demon cackled madly, disappearing in the depths of his mind.

"STOP IGNORING ME, YOU SELFISH LITTLE BRAT!" he heard Kankuro yell at him, punching him in the face once again, "The last thing I want Kiyoshi to see is you, but I know that she still loves you no matter how much pain you've put her through. She's done everything she can do to please you, now she thinks that ceasing her existence will please you. It just might, I mean, I don't see how a monster like you could love anyone." Kankuro said harshly, throwing his brother back onto the chair he was just sitting on and disappearing to find Temari.

Once again, Gaara was left to venture his thoughts alone.

"What have I done?" he whispered to himself. "WHAT THE _FUCK_ HAVE I DONE?!" He stood up and punched the wall beside him creating a hole. He gripped his heart once again, and quickly used his sand to teleport to where he thought his wife would be, Lover's Leap.

* * *

Kiyoshi stood at the edge of the cliff, her toes curling around the sharp drop. She stared at the ground in the bottom of it, watching as the tears drop into the dark abyss. Her eyes closed. Her mind and heart debating against each other. Her mind saying "don't jump, he's not worth it" but her heart wailed back "_he's my life, he was the meaning of my life_".

'_I stay alive as long as he wants me. He doesn't want me anymore.'_

'You're weak.'

'_I know._'

'How can you still be in love with that monster?'

'_He's not a monster_.'

She knew that she was being ridiculous. She knew it would have been healthy to leave him months ago; years ago, but she couldn't risk war between Konoha and Suna. That was what she tried to convince herself to the reason why she stayed. In truth, she didn't want to leave because she thought he would change back to his old self. Kiss her every morning; like he used to. Hold her every time she had a nightmare like he used to. Run his fingers through her hair when he thought she was asleep like he used to. Come home as early as he can from his duties as Kazekage like he used to.

Love her like he used to.

'_He doesn't care anymore. I'm a whore. I kissed another man. I killed Gaara's trust._

_'He doesn't know how much he's hurt me.'_

Kiyoshi shuffled forward blindly, hoping that her death would be quick and painless.

"NO!!"

Kiyoshi paused for a moment, recognised the voice and a slight smile made its way to her lips. '_He's here to watch me die. Nothing more._'

"Please... don't..." she could hear the guilt in his voice.

Her smile widened. Guilt? Never. Gaara hater her, loathed her. She was a whore; she didn't deserve her husband's attention. She didn't turn around; she kept her eyes closed, feeling the sand and wind brush against her skin. Oh, how she wanted for him to kiss her. Just once, before she died.

"Please... come back... I'm sorry, I stopped thinking after I saw the man kissing you..." his voice was strained, "I became jealous and I was being selfish. I thought that you had lied to me, like everyone else, but I was wrong. And, oh, how I regret even _thinking _that. Look at where my selfishness brought me: the woman that I love - the mother of my child - is just about to jump to her death."

Her heart froze. '_"the woman that I love"_?' 'Don't listen to him, he's toying with you. Just turn around, insult him, call him a heartless monster, and walk away. Walk out of his meaningless life. Start a new family, fall in love with someone who will actually respect you.'

'_No..._' "Do you love me?" her voice was strained, sore. She slowly turned around and Gaara's eyes widened in fright.

Her once smooth and shining brown hair lay limp on her back, her dull gold eyes staring at him with pain. Her lips were covered in blood, her own blood that dripped down to her chin. The bruise around her neck was what that scared him the most. It was an ugly, hideous purple/reddish colour and you could clearly see a hand print. His hand print. There were marks where he squeezed her neck so tightly that he had broken her skin. Gaara felt sick. '_I did that..._'

Seeing the look of disgust cross his face, Kiyoshi whimpered and wailed, clutching onto her hair as she turned around towards the edge once again. Tears streamed down her face faster and faster until they were just long lines dripping onto the ground below her. It suddenly felt like someone had grabber onto her heart and squeezed it in her chest, pulling and twisting at any direction.

She started to hit herself with her arm, constantly hitting her chest as if to numb the pain. She felt her throat tighten. She had to stop the pain, it was unbearable. She turned around once again, and whispered three small words: "I love you..."

Gaara felt tears prickling his eyes. He took a step towards her, and seeing her not react, he took another step until he was in front of her. She watched as he brought a had up and winced and closed her eyes, awaiting a strike but was shocked when she felt arms wrap around her body. She could feel his warm breath on her neck and she softly smiled. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around his waist tightly, clutching his Kazekage robes. She felt something wet drip on her shoulder and her tears started to flow once again.

"I love you, Kiyoshi." Gaara clutched onto the woman in front of him as if his life depended on it. "I love you so much. I want to be with you forever and the next day. I want to feel your warm breath every time we kiss, every time we hug, every time we make love. I want your warmth, I want your kindness, and I want to hear your voice every day. I want to hear your laughter ever day. I want you. I need you."

Gaara moved his head back slightly and watched as Kiyoshi's smile widened and he smiled back. He slowly leant down and touched her lips with his softly. "I need your love."

They stood there for a few moments, embracing each other and kept their lips pressed against each other. Kiyoshi was first to release and she stared at Gaara. "Tell them that I love them and that I'm sorry..."

Gaara stood there, confused and them suddenly, he was pushed away from Kiyoshi and he landed on the ground. He looked up, shocked, and he felt his heart wrench out.

"I love you, Gaara. I'm sorry..." And then she fell back, into the dark grounds of the Great Cliff of Suna.

"'KA-SAN!!!" Reika screamed from a distance as she saw her mother fall back. She ran towards her, as if hoping that if she ran fast enough, she could catch her mother.

Gaara quickly grabbed Reika before she could go any further. Reika continued screamed for her mother, crying. She tried to fight against Gaara, but he kept her in a tight grasp as he squeezed his eyes shut. Reika hit her father in the chest, screaming out in anguish.

"YOU KILLED HER!!!" Reiko screamed, kicking and hitting her father. "IT'S YOUR FAULT!!! It's your fault 'Ka-san is dead!!!

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!"

Gaara squeezed his eyes tighter, and collapsed to the ground, taking his daughter down with him. Reiko stopped hitting him and cried, grasping his robes tightly. He started to gasp for air as he sobbed on his daughter's hair. He shook and cries tore from his throat.

He focused all his anger, loss, sadness, frustration and self-disgust into one cry that shook the whole of Sunagakure to the core.

"KIYOSHI!!!"

* * *

**R&R :D **

**(1) Fallen women = prostitutes**

**(2) Aunt**

**(3) Uncle**

**(4) Fox [referring to Naruto.]**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: the Anime NARUTO belongs to KISHIMOTO MASASHI. The only thing I own here is the character, Kiyoshi, and the plot.

Warning: this Twoshot contains angst, resurrection, betrayal, and strong language.

GaaraxOC

**_Warning: Shit chapter._**

Note: Gaaras1Girl told me that there really is a place called Lover's Leap o__o; I never actually knew that, the name just sort of popped into mind. It sorta creeps me out XC

**Part 2 of 2**

* * *

It's been six months since Kiyoshi passed on.

Six months since he killed the love of his life.

Gaara counted the days he's lived without her, keeping a tally etched onto his gourd. 189 days without her. One more day then it would be an even 190. He could still remember her face clearly in his mind just before she fell back. It haunted him constantly, seeing her sad face marred by his abuse.

He never knew the reason why she continued to love him. He had treated her horribly (though the word was extremely under exaggerated) and yet she continued to stand by his side silently, only thinking about his and their daughter's well-being. He could remember when they had first met; it was soon after the Chuunin Exams, about three months after. He remembers standing in front of his house with his older siblings, irritated that _he_, of all people, had to go through this. He remembers laying eyes on her for the first time, disgruntled. She seemed just like everyone else; head bowed down politely and voice soft. Back then, he would have killed them if someone came up to him and said, "You will fall madly in love with this woman and be the father of her child."

It took only a year for them to fall in love with each other, but they were wedded 4 months before they even realised their love. He could remember the first time they had made love. He could remember how confused they both were, but they went with their instincts and Gaara swore he saw heaven itself when he had climaxed. He then remembered the second time they had made love, how he had impregnated her with Reika. He remembered Kiyoshi being so happy, she said that it was her goal to get married and have a family.

The birth of Reika was one of the most joyous experiences Gaara had ever had. He was so unsure about how to raise a child since he never knew the love of neither a father nor a mother. He was tense when the nurse had handed him the little pink baby fast asleep. He looked at the baby's features; she had dark brown hair and there was a slight blackish tone around her eyes. He gently rubber his thumb on his baby's cheek, and nearly had a heart attack when the baby woke up and big jade eyes stared at him. Reika broke out into a grin and with clumsy hands, grabbed Gaara's thumb and stuck it into her mouth, falling asleep again soon after.

Those days were over now. The only things to keep him going were those memories.

Gaara sighed, resting his head on the palm of hand and closing his eyes. He so desperately needed to see the memory of Kiyoshi smiling again. The one memory was like a drug to him. It was what kept him alive and it was what kept Shukaku from escaping his unstable mind.

"I want to see you smile again, Kiyoshi." he whispered to himself. He knew people would have considered him insane if they knew that he had one-way conversations with his dead wife. Kankuro and Temari knew of his 'conversations' and they were a bit worried at first, but then after a while, they realised that this was Gaara's way of coping with her death.

Ever since she died, Gaara still kept all her belongings in his house. Gaara couldn't rest without the thought of Kiyoshi next to him, so he continually replayed her soft voice inside his head, hoping that it would let him relax for a few minutes if he was lucky. He made their bed every morning; he even fluffed up her pillow. When he made breakfast for himself and Reika, he would always accidentally make a little bit more than they needed and can never throw it away, as if once he threw that away, it would mean Kiyoshi had stopped existing all together. So he always packed it for Reika's lunch.

Gaara's thoughts were stopped when someone knocked at his door. He sighed, and rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair just like what Kiyoshi used to do whenever he came home tired and stressed from his duties. "Come in..."

He looked up from his desk and smiled at the sight of his daughter. "Ah. Hello, Reika."

Reika simply nodded and avoided his eyes. "Hello, Father." Gaara's smile faltered. "Here's the report of the completed mission that you wanted."

Gaara smiled once again, "Thank you, Reiko. I knew I could trust you to never let me down."

His daughter simply nodded, and leaned on one of her legs. "Is there anything else that you need, Father?"

He kept up the pained smile and shook his head, "No, you're free to do as you wish now."

Reiko bowed and hurriedly walked towards the door, slamming it behind her.

Gaara immediately stopped smiling and a hurt expression crossed his face. "What can I do, Kiyoshi? Our daughter hates me..." Silence was his reply and Gaara sighed, obviously saddened. "She hasn't even looked at me since your funeral. It's as if we don't know each other anymore. I don't know what I can do, Kiyoshi... I've tried almost everything to get her to look at me, but she never has!"

Gaara whimpered pathetically and grabbed the front of his hair, "Why did I have to do this to you, Kiyoshi..."

* * *

'_NO!' _He had to stop it. He _HAD _to stop that bomb. If it hit Suna, then his country will perish. His family. Reika. Kiyoshi.

He gathered as much sand as he could and merged it with his own, creating a thick shield just below the bomb, preventing it from hitting Suna. He smirked inside as he saw his opponents shocked face, but that smirk quickly disappeared when he saw Deidara grin wickedly.

"Katsu!"

Gaara had _just_ escaped the bomb and he sighed in relief. He glared at the general direction of where Deidara would be and his eyes widened in shock. Deidara's chakra infused bombs managed to crawl inside his shell.

"Shi-!" He was immediately cut off as the bombs exploded.

He couldn't remember what had happened exactly, all he knew is that Deidara had managed to mix his bombs with his sand and it had exploded _inside_ his sand ball. He felt weak and exhausted. His sand around him started to fall towards the ground.

'_The sand... It's still above Suna... I have to... move it...' _Gaara weakly stretched out his hand and with the last of his chakra, and slowly moved the large shield from his country.

'_Shit... I don't have any energy left..._' the little amount of sand Gaara had left couldn't support him and he started falling to the ground.

"'TOU-SAN!!!" Reika...? "Wake up! Don't give up!!!"

Gaara felt something wrap around his body and carry him away from his daughter. He turned his head slightly towards where he could hear Reika's cries. He could see a blurry shape running towards him, screaming for him.

"'Tou-san! DON'T LEAVE ME _ALONE_!!!"

Gaara felt his lips twitch up a bit, '_She called me 'Tou-san, Kiyoshi... Not Father.._'

His mind became foggy and Gaara leaned back and closed his eyes, only thinking of the future he could have had with his Kiyoshi and Reika.

* * *

"Come on, let's go. Sasori-danna hates waiting." Gaara could hear a male voice state.

He heard shuffling near him then footsteps. "Yes, Deidara-dono."

'_That voice..._'

"Oi, pick up the jinchuuriki and put him back on the bird. I don't see why you insist of cleaning the damn boy; he's going to die anyway." Gaara heard the ruffling of clothes and he felt someone grab onto his shoulders and dragged him against the floor.

A familiar scent reached him and he was thrown into an old memory.

_Gaara leaned down to Kiyoshi's height. It was their wedding day and they had just been married and they'd been asked to kiss. Gaara, not seeing the bother of putting up a fight, leaned in and lightly touched his lips with hers. Thinking that it would only be a peck, Gaara pulled back slightly only to be grabbed at by the collar and Gaara felt his lips press harder against Kiyoshi's. She was never this bold, and it shocked him when he felt himself kiss back. He let his new wife take over his senses. Her tongue had entered his mouth and he could clearly taste mints and spices. He could only hear her breathing as she sniffed in air. She smelt like flowers, like fresh flowers that had just started blooming. Her scent intoxicated her, filling his brain with only her. Sabaku no Kiyoshi._

He could feel the person carrying him stop for a moment, breathe in a sharp breath and continue dragging him. He could feel them stop and straighten his arms out once again. Something wrapped around Gaara once again, but this time, it was someone's arms. Someone familiar to Gaara.

The sand wielder opened his eyes slightly; too tired to open them even more than a slight crack. He could see a figure in front of him, a female one. Her face was covered by a shadow but he could already tell who it was.

He opened his mouth slightly, his throat sore and lips chapped, "K-Kiyo...shi..."

The figure above him froze, tightening their arms around Gaara. He could see something shine under the shadow and trail down. A droplet of water landed on his cheek and he could feel his lips tug upwards, cracking them slightly. "M-My... Kiyo..shi..."

"What's taking so long, girl? I don't know why Leader-sama even let you go on this mission. You're just a freaking rookie; you don't even know any jutsus." The man sighed and Gaara saw the figure above him wipe their tears and lean forward towards Gaara.

"I will protect you."

Darkness.

* * *

_They had never found her body._

_They searched for 3 weeks and then concluded that she would still be considered dead, not a missing person. No one had ever survived the fall._

_Gaara, however, never stopped looking. Everyday since her fall, he would make a schedule to go there everyday after 5, before it would turn dark._

_He had missed one day. The day of her official funeral._

_It was done without a body, using a picture of Kiyoshi to show who they were mourning for._

_All of Suna went and paid their respects. They had known of the problems in their Kage's marriage and it was rumoured that it was Gaara himself that had pushed her over the cliff. To Gaara, they were no rumours. He's had visions of him pushing Kiyoshi off the cliff, grinning wickedly. Visions kindly given by Shukaku._

_The funeral was one of the most depressing things the majority of Suna experienced. They watched as the man that they had tormented as a small child, the current Kage of the village, breakdown in front of her picture, begging for his wife to come back to him, sobbing and clutching the picture to his chest. They had never seen someone so heartbroken, many of them started crying themselves after watching the strongest and most unemotional ninja in Suna show them one of his weakest moments in his life._

_Their Kazekage had to be supported by his sister to join the crowd; the next mourner was the Kage's daughter. If Gaara's breakdown didn't break some of the Suna citizens heart, this one cut a clean line straight through their bodies._

_Reika screamed and screamed. She screamed even when her throat became soar; even when she could feel her Aunt and Uncle grab her from behind, tugging backwards. She just shook them off and ran to Gaara. She kicked and screamed at him, punched him, slapped him. The villagers expected him to enclose her with his sand coffin, but were surprised when he did nothing, just let her beat him with his head hanging low._

_"I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" She screamed at him, tears pouring down her face. "You killed her! You killed my 'Ka-san!_

_"Why couldn't you have died?!"_

_

* * *

_

Gaara woke with a start. His eyes opened wide and he looked around, expecting bloodied bodies and destruction, but what he had gotten was much worse. He was trapped inside a dark cell, jagged rocks biting into his side.

'_Shukaku, why haven't you taken over my body?'_

"I can't. This stupid room prevents me from taking over you." the demon sneered, obviously upset.

'_Mm... Shukaku, would it be okay if I asked you a question?'_

"You already have, boy."

Gaara decided to ignore Shuhaku's comment. '_Did I... dream of Kiyoshi?'_

"No."

A clanging brought Gaara out of his thoughts as he quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be fast asleep. He could hear creaking and the shuffling of feet.

"I have to hurry. I have to get him out before anything happens to him." He could hear the intruder mutter under their breath.

A hand landed on Gaara's shoulder and shook him slightly. His hand shot out and grabbed the person's wrist tightly, opening his eyes to stare at light golden ones. The figure, whose face was covered by a dark cloth that hung over their face indicated for him to be silent and looked around.

"Follow me." A female.

Gaara glared at the female in front of him, confused. He sat up, still keeping a vice grip on the woman's wrist. He had just noticed that the woman's wrist was inhumanly cold and hard. He looked down a saw a glint of metal under the long sleeve. He felt the woman attempt to withdraw her arm, but Gaara kept his firm hold. "Who are you?"

"I am no one, Kazekage-sama. I am merely a meaningless... tramp." the last word came out strained and Gaara looked at her, shocked that this woman would call herself that and his grip loosened around her wrist. "Now, we mustn't hesitate. They will extract the Shukaku from you in less than 2 hours, we must hurry to get you out and back to your family.'

The figure stood up quickly, expecting the sand wielder to stand up too. Gaara just sat there, looking at his hands with a blank stare. "I have no family."

The woman stood over him, visibly shaking. Gaara looked up and noticed that her gloved hands were clenched into tight fists. "Why do you say that, Kazekage-sama?" Her voice shook, void of any emotion.

Gaara laughed a haunting laugh. "My wife... my love, she killed herself - fell to the sweet release of death due to what I had done to her. My daughter hates me for it. She accuses me for her mothers death, says that I killed her. I do not blame her for that, from what I have done to her, I might as well have just... pushed her off."

The woman above him stiffened and crouched in front of him. Gaara felt her eyes underneath the cover stare at him with a fiery glare. He saw her hand lift up the cloth and Gaara breath caught in his throat.

"You did not kill me."

* * *

The two people ran though the dark corridors of the cave. Gaara was weak so he lagged a bit behind. The woman in front of him growled as she was forced to tug the Kazekage to once again.

"When did you become so weak?" She muttered under her breath as they reached a small door.

Gaara glared at his supposedly dead wife. "When the hell did you become so strong?"

Kiyoshi looked over her shoulder and glared back at him. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes. I would also like to know why you are now part of the Akatsuki."

Kiyoshi let go of Gaara's hand and she suddenly felt the warmth escape her body. She rested her hand on the doors handle, just hovering above it chakra surrounded her hand. The door clicked and she quickly pushed the door open. She grabbed Gaara's hand once again and dragged him outside of the hostage cells.

"400 more metres, then you'll be out of here, okay?"

"No." Kiyoshi was tugged back slightly as Gaara suddenly stopped.

She turned around and glared at the sand jinchuuriki, "What do you mean 'No'?"

"I want to know what happened. I want to know how you are still alive and why you didn't come back home."

Kiyoshi looked down and massaged her temples with her gloved hand. "I was hoping to avoid these questions and just get you out of here." She looked up at her husband and sighed, "Are you _sure_ you want to know now and not wait till you're outside?"

Gaara looked down and looked straight into Kiyoshi's eyes and said firmly, "I want to know _now_."

"Ah... This is going to be hard." Kiyoshi groaned. "I'll start from the beginning, okay?"

Gaara nodded.

"You know how I jumped off the cliff?" Kiyoshi saw Gaara wince and decided to ignore it, "I somehow managed to survive the fall, but I had shattered the bone in my arm so badly that I needed it amputated." Kiyoshi pulled her sleeve back and pulled her gloves off. "You saw how Deidara had his mechanical eye of his, right? This was made soon after I was brought here when they had found me laying there.

"This arm can do a lot of things like throw senbons, shurikens, kunais, etcetera and it stores some chakra in it so when I run out I can simply just activate it and I can last a few more hours after. It's pretty much like a super mechanical arm really. Well, back to the point. Some of the other Akatsuki members were scouting the area and saw me there, half-dead and decided to keep me in here as a hostage, see if there were any reports of a missing person that matched my description. Seeing as everyone thought I was dead, I became their official cleaner, hostage watcher, cook, and laundry lady.

"The Akatsuki didn't really like it when I would always break something because I was too clumsy and they absolutely _hated _it when I would always manage to reveal the hiding place to countries accidentally so they decided to train me a bit. I got better and I was included in some of their missions to kidnap people, retrieve valuables, etcetera. And now I'm here with you."

Kiyoshi stood there, waiting for Gaara to soak in the new information. She took a deep breath when Gaara's non-existent eyebrows furrowed together. His eyes hardened and he glared at Kiyoshi. "Why do you seem so relaxed about this? You abandoned me and Reika! Do you know how much suffering you've caused me?!"

Kiyoshi's eyes flashed and she glared at her husband. "Suffering?! What do _you_ know about suffering!?" Her voice was loud and full of anger. "You didn't have to live through 9 years of being your husband's punching bag! You didn't have to explain to your five year old daughter why_ Daddy_ wasn't there for her birthday! You didn't have to live with the guilt of being accused of cheating! You didn't have to watch as your husband arrive home smelling like women's perfume and be forced to not do anything about it! You didn't have to feel scared going to work every week in fear of them asking about the dark bruise on the side of your face from your husband punching you! You didn't have to go through the pain of being stuck in this hell hole knowing that your husband and child were just a few hours away thinking you were dead!"

Kiyoshi was breathing quickly now, her eyes blurry because of the tears that were threatening to spill, "Tell me Gaara, what made it so bad for you as to blame me for your suffering. Was it me jumping off that cliff? Cause there was a reason to why I did that. It's not as if I did that for the shits and giggles now did I? Was it because you felt the tiniest twinge of guilt seeing me down there, bleeding and broken? What is it, Gaara? What did I do to you that was so fucking horrible?"

"...Nothing. You didn't do anything."

"There, happy now? I didn't do _anything._" Kiyoshi seethed, turning back around and walking to a corner, "Now that we've cleared that up, I'm going to get _you_ out of here and on with your happy fucking life back in Suna."

Gaara looked at her with sad eyes, "Aren't you coming?"

Kiyoshi froze for a moment, her back slouching down. "I can't." She replied softly.

"Why?" Gaara asked, walking towards her slowly.

"Because. Everyone I knew thinks I'm dead." Kiyoshi could feel Gaara just behind her and she continued on trying to unlock the door.

Gaara leaned down and wrapped his arms around his wife, resting his head on her back. "That gives you more the reason to come back with me." He whispered.

Kiyoshi shivered, having forgotten the feeling of her husband's arms around her. "We'll figure that out later, first we just have to get you out."

Turning Kiyoshi around, Gaara stared into her eyes. "I won't leave without you."

Kiyoshi sighed, putting her hands on Gaara's shoulders she whispered, "You have to. You have to raise Reika and lead Suna into great wealth and victory for those who go against you."

"You've changed."

Kiyoshi sighed, shaking her head. "I had to. I was weak back then - stupid. I relied on other people too much and look at where it led me to." She looked up and grinned at Gaara, "Is that a bad thing, weakling?"

Gaara glared at her, but his smirk shook the fierceness away. "No, I actually find it quite... attractive. I've always liked you feisty."

Kiyoshi's grin widened, "Good. Now, to get you out of here."

"Before that," Gaara grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her lips towards his, capturing them in a deep and passionate long awaited kiss.

"Lookey at what we have here. Isn't that interesting, Sasori-danna. We seem to have found out the reason to why we found Kiyoshi in the desert."

"Hn. Doesn't matter. They're both going to die anyway."

* * *

_'Who..._

_'Who is he calling to..?_

_'Whose hand is this?_

_'Ah... It's just my hand again._

_'My hand...'_

_Soft teal eyes looked over the plain desert, seeing only a small figure. A small boy, crouched down, huddled over and crying. _

_'I..._

_'Who am I?...'_

_Two hands landed on Gaara's shoulders. His eyes widened and he looked up, seeing two smiling faces of Naruto and Kiyoshi._

_'Kiyoshi..._

_'I..._

_'I'm...'_

"Gaara."

'_..Naruto.'_

Said ninja put a hand on Gaara's shoulder, grinning, "Hey, Gaara."

"N-Naru..to?"

The blonde ninja's grin widened and his eyes sparkled, "The one and only, believe it!"

Something ran at Gaara, grabbed him and hugged him tightly. He could feel their tears drip on his neck. "'Tou-san!"

He could feel their arms tighten around him, as if worried that if they ever let go Gaara would disappear. Slowly wrapping his arms around his daughter he could hear muffled sobs as he hugged her tighter. "Reika..." he could feel her shake, clutching his clothes.

"You were dead! I thought you would be gone forever!" Reika murmured.

Gaara smiled softly, "I'm not _that_ weak, Reika." looking up at Naruto, Gaara cocked his head to the side, "What happened?"

"Well... It's fairly complicated actually. We heard what happened to you with the kidnapping and all we got to the cave to rescue you and we... well you were already dead when we had found you and there were these two Akatsuki guys sitting on you and there was another person near you. She was also wearing the Akatsuki cloak, but she was unconscious and had a mask over her face. I think she woke up in the middle of Chiyo-baa-sama and Sakura's fight and helped them defeat Sasori. I think she was trying to help you, cause when she finished helping Sakura and Chiyo-baa-sama she came ran over here and helped us defeat Deidara. After that, she just sort of... disappeared."

Gaara froze, his grip tightened around Reika. "'Tou-san, what's wrong?"

The ex-jinchuuriki shook his head, stiff as a rock and looked at Naruto straight in the eye, "Did you see how she looked like?"

Naruto shook his head, "Nah, she had a mask covering her face the entire time. Though, when she took off her Akatsuki cloak she had this really weird metal arm thing. It was really freaky at first at how she managed to catch Deidara's bomb and throw it back at him. Actually, she as a general person freaked me out. She never said a single word to any of us, only talking to Deidara and Sasori in a really weird voice. It sounded so familiar, but I could really put my finger on it..."

"'Tou-san, do you know this lady?" Reika asked, finally pulling away from her father and looking at him in the eye.

Gaara nodded, smiling a little, "Yes. Very well." He put a hand on his 12 year old daughters head, "Everyone here does."

Naruto crouched down next to him and bounced slightly, "Really?! Who is she then?"

"I... think she would prefer it if she told you herself one day." Gaara sighed and struggled to stand up, "Now, we must say our prayers to Chiyo-baa-sama, a brave elder who gave her life for her country." Gaara bowed his head down, soon followed by everyone that had come to rescue him, including a certain someone in the distance with long brown hair and a mechanical arm.

* * *

"Reika, wake up!" A groan escaped the heap on the bed, "Come on, Reika. Teams will be announced today and you know you have to be there."

"Mmnn. But I don't want to." Reika whined, burying her head beneath her pillow. "I already know which teams I'm going to be put on! It's going to be with Baki Monoge and Yamiri Noka; the 'hotshot' of the academy and the invisible one." Sitting up, Reika looked at Gaara and huffed, "Why would you put me in a team with those two? You know how much I dislike Monoge and Noka is almost invisible most of the time."

Gaara grinned slightly and crouched beside his daughters bed, "Because, Baki insisted that his son would be put into your team and your uncle is good friends with the Yamiri's and he told me that Noka has wanted to be your friend for a while now, but was too shy."

"Muh. Fine, but you owe me, 'Tou-san."

"Mm, but I think I have the perfect thing for you." Gaara smiled softly, "It's something you've wanted for the past 10 months."

Reika jumped happily, "Really?! Where is it?" She grinned widely, her eyes bright and starry.

"You'll have to wait until _after_ the teams are announced. So, hurry up and get ready." Gaara stood up and looked at her threateningly, "I'll use my sand on you."

Reika looked up, frightened and looked at him suspiciously, "You wouldn't."

Sand slithered from into the room from the window and floated closer and closer towards Reika. She squealed and ran to her bathroom and shut the door."'Tou-san! I told you to not do that anymore!"

"I am the Kazekage and your father, Reika. I can do whatever I want." Gaara told her teasingly.

Reika grumbled, "I know."

* * *

"Did you tell her/"

Closing the door behind him and turned around to stare at bright golden eyes. "No, I was hoping we would tell her after graduating from the academy. I've given her hints though, so she wouldn't be too shocked that she would hate us."

Kiyoshi laughed, her short brown hair swaying. Three months since Gaara's resurrection and Kiyoshi has been meeting with Gaara secretly for the past 2 months of those. He was shocked to see her at first, expecting her to never show up when he went to his annual visit to Lover's Leap. Kiyoshi, unable to leave Akatsuki, was forced to visit him once or twice a week. Sometimes they were unable to see each other for a few weeks, causing them both to grow exceptionally worried about each other.

The Kazekage walked towards his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging her towards him. "Tell me again why it took you over three months to come back to my arms." he asked her huskily. Their faces were centimetres from each other, lips tingling, their hot breathing caressing each others faces.

"Because if I had just walked out of the Akatsuki base, they'll find me and kill everyone I love. I had to fake my death again." Kiyoshi replied, her voice deeper and equally as husky as Gaara's.

Gaara smirked, "You seem to have a knack of getting people to believe you're dead."

Grinning, she brought their faces closer until their lips were _just_ touching, "That's how I'm with you today, love."

Gaara grew impatient and crashed his lips against hers. Sharply inhaling through her nose, Kiyoshi closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Gaara's neck, making sure that she not put too much pressure on the mechanical arm to squeeze Gaara forward.

"Ahem."

Pushing each other apart quickly, Kiyoshi forgot about her arm's strength and accidentally pushed him over and hit the wall hard enough that it cracked.

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

Grabbing his head, Gaara groaned and stood up slowly, glaring at his brother who was laughing hysterically and clutching his sides.

"Oh, shut up Kankuro. You have no idea how strong Kiyo--"

"What's with all the noise?"

All three froze, but Kiyoshi was first to react when she ran into Gaara's room, hastily shutting the door with a small bang.

"O-Oh! H-He-Hey, Reika-chan... I was just... playing around with your dad here..." Kankuro said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head with a stupid grin on his face.

Looking suspiciously at the crack on the wall, Reika snorted and walked back into her room, "Suure."

* * *

"I feel really awkward standing next to the Kazekage wearing a huge trench coat and a mask over my face." Kiyoshi whispered to Gaara, eyeing the people that looked at her suspiciously.

"The only reason I'm making you do this is so that Reika can have her heart attack while she's near us and not at the entrance of the academy."

"Very funny, Gaara." Kiyoshi sighed and continued looking at the academy, "I just hope she doesn't react the way Temari did when she found out I was still alive."

Gaara froze up for a moment, replaying the memory in his mind. "As far as I know, the whole village would be hoping for the same thing too."

* * *

_It's been 7 weeks since the incident with the Akatsuki and Kiyoshi and Gaara were together once again. _

_They met on the edge of Lover's Leap cuddling with each other under the stars. They started pecking each other's lips and over time, things became a little hot and soon enough, Kiyoshi was on top of the Gaara, straddling him and attempting to shrug off his Kazekage robes. Breaking the kiss, Kiyoshi trailed down to his neck where she sucked and licked him sloppily. Breathing hard, Gaara rolled them over and he sucked on the base of Kiyoshi's neck, just next to her shoulder. She released herself from Gaara's neck and she moaned out in pleasure._

_Just as Kiyoshi finished unbuttoning Gaara's pants did Temari on her patrol walk notice them there._

_"Oi! What the hell are you two doing there?! I can have you both arrested you know, Kazekage-sama doesn't like it when people are making babies in public."_

_'Shit.' Ran through both minds._

_Untangling each other, they both scrambled to get up. Gaara hopped up and down, trying to zip up his pants and quickly grabbed his robes and threw them over himself._

_"What the... GAARA?! What the fuck are you doing?! Wait, no, WHO the fuck are you doing?!" Temari screamed as she stormed towards the couple, fan at the ready. "Who is that slut, who is she?!"_

_Gaara quickly stood in front of Kiyoshi, sand shivering under their feet. "Wait, Temari! Let me explain!"_

_"Fuck no. I'm going to murder this little bitch. You have a daughter, Gaara! And you're the Kazekage!" Getting closer and closer, Temari froze as she spotted brown hair and golden eyes from behind her little brother. Her finger shot up and pointed straight at Kiyoshi, shaking. "Why the hell do I see Kiyoshi?!"_

_"Because I am Kiyoshi." She said hesitantly._

_"No you aren't!"_

_Explosion. Fighting was ensured after that until Temari got a good look at Kiyoshi. Lover's Leap was almost destroyed by that time and it took Gaara all his strength to use his sand to get it back to where it was._

_Temari almost sent Kiyoshi flying _off_ Lover's Leap when she had hugged her. Temari was first to find out Kiyoshi was alive apart from Gaara._

_

* * *

_

"'Tou-san! 'Tou-san!" Reika screamed, running towards Gaara, grinning happily. "Guess who my sensei is!"

Gaara grinned, catching his daughter and let her wrap her legs around his torso as he lifter her up. "Who is it?"

"Auntie Temari is!" Reika squealed happily.

Kiyoshi smiled softly, Reika always liked Temari a lot. Feeling a bit scared, she shifted back slightly only to almost stumble over when sand wrapped around her ankle. Looking back at Gaara, she saw him glare at her slightly.

Reika looked to her father's side and noticed a woman next to him. She squinted her eyes slightly and leaned forward. Suddenly, something clicked in her mind. "Hey! You're that woman from the Akatsuki who helped save my 'Tou-san!"

Kiyoshi nodded, feeling a bit disappointed that her daughter didn't recognise her. She did have on a trench coat, a mask and a hat that hid her identity fairly well, though.

"What are you doing here? I thought you disappeared after my 'Tou-san was revived."

Kiyoshi nodded again, "I did, but I came back here to meet my daughter and husband again."

Reika's eyes widened in interest, "Really? Who's your daughter? I may know her."

Kiyoshi giggled slightly, "Oh, you know her very well. More than anyone actually." Kiyoshi raised her hand and she pulled the big hat from her head and pulled the mask down along with it.

Reika froze and gripped her father tightly. "'Tou-san..." her voice shook, "Wh-why am I seeing 'Ka-san?..."

"Because she's right in front of you, Reika." Gaara told her in a soft voice.

Slipping from her fathers arms, she walked slowly towards Kiyoshi. "K-K-Ka-san...?"

Bending down, Kiyoshi smiled at her daughter and spread her arms, "Hello, Reika-chan."

Without thinking, Reika ran towards her mother, screaming in delight as she embraced her tightly. "Oka-san! I missed you so much!"

Tears streamed down both their faces as Kiyoshi gripped Reika tightly, afraid to let go. "I missed you so much as well, my daughter." Sniffing, she looked at Gaara and extended an arm towards him. Smiling, he walked towards both of them and embraced them both tightly.

Their first family hug in almost 11 years.

* * *

**R&R**

I know it's a bit weirdly written, but whilst writing it, I was reading tonnes of other GaaraxOC stories that were a mix of genres. I read angst, tragedy, humour, drama, crime, etc and my mood sort of changed after reading each one, leading to a mixed way of writing. ^^;;

Gaaras1Girl:

1. I said I would mention why Gaara didn't catch Kiyoshi when she dropped off the cliff, but I never actually mentioned it in the story. Sorry~ hehe :heart: So I'm going to just say it here. Well, I think that since Shukaku is the main reason to why Gaara can control sand, Shukaku can still control it to an extent. Since Shukaku wanted to show Gaara his consequences and made sure that Gaara had absolutely no power over his sand. He saw that Kiyoshi really did want to die, so he let her do as she wanted, only to change his mind just before she landed on the bottom of the cliff where he softened her fall a bit enough to let her live, but take a bit of damage as well to convince Gaara that she was dead.  
2. I guess she jumped because she was worried that Gaara would turn back to his old ways and abuse her again.  
3. No, I didn't kill her XD


End file.
